FAQ – Pricing

Family Portraits: How does it work?

The process is so simple and enjoyable.

An initial chat.
Once we've received your contact form the first step is to book in a date for your portrait session.

Then we confirm all the booking details via email. We send you our client guide to help you prepare for you session. Then a few days before your photoshoot I'll call you to answer any questions and help you prepare for the session.

Arrive
Simply arrive on the day at our agreed time with 1-2 outfits that you’d like to be photographed in. I’ll greet you with a coffee or tea and explain a bit about how the photographic shoot will work. You'll be able to make yourself at home in the lounge area and use the changing room for privacy.

Time to be photographed
This is where the fun starts! Most people, Mums and Dads, initially feel nervous in front of the camera, especially if they’ve spent most of their lives dodging the lens! But any nerves will disappear quickly because I’ll make you feel completely at ease, offering gentle guidance. The photo shoot will usually take 30-45 minutes depending on the ages of the children. We'll include a mix of guided portraits as well as more candid ones to capture your special connection. I guarantee there will be lots of laughs!

Viewing your photos
Before we say goodbye, we make a time to have a viewing session back at the studio within one week of the portrait shoot.

Your photos are ready
Around four weeks after ordering, your photos will be ready for you to admire and cherish for years to come.

I'm quite curvy and nervous about getting photographed.

It’s time to silence your inner critic and remind yourself that style and beauty doesn’t have a size. You are beautiful right now. And the perfect time to be photographed is now.

Celebrate your beauty. Change your life.

When you work with me, Deb Smith, you do more than just invest in stunning, portrait photographs, you invest in a service that will change your life forever.

A bold statement, but completely true. Here’s why:

You won’t be judged. You’ll feel relaxed and comfortable at all times. (I’m a real woman, just like you).

As a curvy woman myself, I have had to fight inner battles to become completely confident and comfortable in my own skin. I know that I’m beautiful, even though I don’t fit society’s unrealistic image of what ‘beauty’ is. My outlook fully changed after my very own portrait photography shoot many years ago.

Some of you will walk into my studio knowing that you’re beautiful, but some of you won’t. No matter what you think about yourself, I will see and know that you’re beautiful (it’s almost like a light that shines from within you). By the end of the session, you will see it too.

If you aren’t happy with the way you look in the photographs, I’ll re-photograph you free of charge. Your happiness is guaranteed.

You don’t have to wait until you go on a diet, be photographed now and look stunning.

Let’s capture you and your beautiful family now. Because if not now, then when? If you are always waiting for the perfect time or perfect weight, then all the current perfect moments are passing you by. Let’s capture you for always, now.

Curvy women never look ‘fat’ in my photos (there are no double chins, muffin tops or big bottoms). And more mature women never look ‘old’ or ‘plain’. I rely on diffused, natural light and expert posing to create the most beautiful portraits.

You’ll be offered a unique and personal service

I offer a personalised and customised service in my professional, Adelaide Hills-based, boutique studio. You aren’t herded in and out to make way for the next client. You are given all my time and attention.

You’ll exist in photographs again.

As a woman, do you avoid photographs because you don’t like the way you look in them? If so, you’re not alone. But the ramifications of this seemingly innocent removal are enormous, because every time you walk away from being photographed, you remove yourself from a future visual memory. In years to come when everyone is reminiscing over photos, you are nowhere to be seen in them.

When you work with me, this is how things will change for the rest of your life.

On the day of our shoot I’ll gently and expertly position you in natural and flattering poses so that you’ll look extra gorgeous. (You’ll be surprised at how just a few small changes can make such a big difference in photographs).

Armed with this knowledge, you can confidently pose in photographs forever. For the rest of your life you’ll know how to position yourself in photos in order to present your lovely curves in the best possible light.

Every time you remain in a photograph, you remain as a memory that can be cherished and reminisced about. This is a priceless gift that you are giving to yourself and your family. You deserve to exist in photos.

If you’ve ever looked through photographs of your own mother, you’ll understand how important it is to give your own children the gift of beautiful memories.

You’ll feel more confident

How you think you look, deeply affects the way you feel about yourself. I want you to feel special, worthy and beautiful. It’s important that your self-talk turns from, ‘I hate how I look in photos’ to ‘I love the way I look in photos’.

You will receive high quality photographs, as well as the option of digital packages. You will own the printing rights for all the digital images that you purchase.

I know that many of you may be a bit nervous about having a portrait photography session, so rather than asking whether you’re ready to book in for a session, I’m going to ask whether you’re ready to send me an initial, obligation-free message. In this message, I’d love to know a bit about you. Who you are. What you love doing. What makes you happy.

I’ll correspond with you, and if you feel comfortable, we can then have a chat. Of course, if you prefer to chat upfront, no problems, just give me a call. If I’m in a photography shoot please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

How much does it cost?

SESSION FEES

All session fees include your phone pre-consultation, a photography session in studio or on location, and depending on the type of session, a gallery of around 30 finished images available for purchase at your viewing and ordering appointment, a week or so later.

CLASSIC FAMILY PORTRAITURE $200 includes your session fee and a $100 photo credit to spend at your ordering session

MATERNITY/NEWBORN FAMILY PACKAGE $290

Maternity session includes styling with our professional hair stylist, and portrait session with me, with 1-2 outfit changes included. Your newborn + family session should be booked in as soon as possible and takes place either in the newborn stage (up to 14 days old), or up to three months afterwards.

PROFESSIONAL HEADSHOT PACKAGE $390

Headshot sessions includes styling with our professional hair stylist and makeup artist, portrait session with me, with 1-2 outfit changes. Your fee includes 2 fully retouched digital files which you are able to choose on the same day.

YOUR PRINTED ARTWORK

The session fee is due at the time of booking in order to secure your date.

Please note that this fee does not include prints or digital images, and covers the time and talent of the photographer and her professional team.

Your photographs may be purchased individually and include options for framed wall art, canvases, albums and bamboo folio boxes. There is no minimum purchase.

Most clients would spend in the range of $500 - $5000 depending on how many rooms in the house you want to fill with portraits!

Payment may be made by cash, direct deposit, or credit card and payment plans with Payright are available. Prices are subject to change but will be honoured at the time of booking, so booking today ensures you lock in your preferred date and the current price list.

For more details please call (08) 7070 1667, or use this contact form, or email me at deb@debsmithphotography.com.au and I look forward to chatting.

Do you sell prints?

I sure do.

Wall art starts at $260 and is available framed, or as canvas, or framed canvas.

Folio box with 20 matted prints - endless options for display

I have a gift voucher. Now what?

Weekend bookings
If you have a gift voucher and wish to book a family session on Saturday, a $100 booking deposit will be required. Once you return to view your photos, this deposit will be applied as a photo credit to your order.

Why should I choose Deb Smith for my photos?

You’ll receive the highest quality photographs

A picture paints a thousand words, so through careful composition, perfect lighting and gentle instruction, I help to create a beautiful story with every photograph I take.

Each one of my photographs is customised, artistic and unique. I don’t just rely on my cameras to take great photos, and nor do I point and shoot and hope for the best. I see your story. I capture it. I love it. You’ll love it too.

You’ll be happy with your photographs. That’s guaranteed.

Taking photos is not just a job for me, it’s a passion that pulled me from darkness. I take my photography seriously, and I take the satisfaction of my clients even more seriously. If you’re not happy with your photographs, then I’ll re-shoot for free. It’s as simple as that.

You’ll never be tricked into spending more money. There are no hidden surprises or hard sells.

I don’t lure you to use my services with a free sitting, and then surprise you with hidden costs or a ‘hard sell’ to buy dozens of photos.

When you work with me, you pay for a competitively-priced sitting fee (this refers to the actual studio shoot), and then you can buy as many or as few photographs as you like.

You’ll receive images that aren’t photo-shopped to death.

While editing is important, I rely mainly on getting amazing images ‘in camera’ in order to reduce photo-shopping. You cannot beat natural, exquisite photographs.

Your photos will be presented in quality albums and boxes

I present my images in the highest quality mats, folio boxes, albums, canvases and wall art; all printed and assembled locally in Australia.

Do you want to have the option to reprint the images that you purchase? No problem! While Deb Smith Photography retains the copyright, you own both the printing rights to your purchased digital images.

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You will never be pressured, ever.

If you call me, I won’t pressure you to use my services. If you hire me, I won’t pressure you to purchase dozens of photos. I have heard nightmare stories about clients being pressured by photographers, and I just won’t do this to you, ever.

Working with a photographer should be a relaxing, fun experience – not one filled with anxiety and fear.

You’ll be in safe and friendly hands

I love working with all kinds of people. I have been pregnant twice, and my two beautiful and lively children are both on the autism spectrum. I am also proud to be a curvy woman. I’m comfortable with my own body and I’m skilled at beautifully capturing yours.

Your mood is reflected in your photographs, and with me, you’ll feel safe and completely comfortable. I’ll help you every step of the way.

For an obligation-free chat about my life changing images, please get in touch. I look forward to hearing from you!